Addressing Homelessness in Long Beach (and It Starts with Your Assumptions)

There’s this thing. This thing about homelessness in Long Beach. It’s not a fun thing, it’s definitely not an empathetic thing, and worst, it’s not an informed thing.

I have (sadly) been a part of this thing for a long time.

Myths run rampant about homelessness in Long Beach, myths that are, at their roots, cruel. Completely ill-grounded claims that unchecked Metro Blue Line rides act as a massive homeless migration vehicle that dumps them into Lincoln Park. Perturbing conspiracy theories that most homeless people actually want to be homeless. Unchecked beliefs that the creation of homeless services act as a magnet for homeless people from all around to migrate.

Then there are myths that aren’t necessarily vitriolic in intention or spirit, but simply misaligned. Like the myth that randomly feeding is a good practice because it stems from kindness; that the giver gets an ego boost knowing they provided food while the receiver’s hunger pang momentarily dissolves. However, like the aforementioned misconceptions, this isn’t true.

Here’s the thing: these are all, as mentioned, misconceptions—and dangerous ones. Unless you’re some deeply cold-hearted person who simply doesn’t care about homelessness (and in that case, I suggest migrating to a deserted island solo to live out your nihilism), it behooves you to understand that homelessness is complex. It takes incredible strength and patience to truly face it head on because not only does one realize how stereotypical we are in our thinking about it but how much we and the system we’ve created exacerbate it.

All too often—myself being a part of this guilty party—we have this very romanticized idea about work, about place and home, and about “how we got where we got” in this country.

When it comes to homelessness, particularly if we are privileged, we pinpoint it as some individual’s inability to take advantage of opportunity, their lack of focusing and working hard, laziness, unwillingness to adapt to society’s norms… The list is an abyss of downward gazes. Of course, these possibilities are not impossible but if there is one thing we can say for certain, it can be found in the words of Homeless Outreach Specialist for the Downtown Long Beach Associates (DLBA) Antoinette Hamilton, whom I had the privilege of interviewing a few months ago: “No one in their right mind chooses to be homeless; I refuse to believe that and my work proves otherwise.”

There are myriad other reasons—far more grounded, far more understandable but ones we easily dismiss—that should be afforded to any stranger you haven’t even exchanged words with. Many run away from abusive situations, be it their families or partners. The LGBTQ community is disproportionate in its homeless population due to rejection, the inability to receive proper mental care; in fact, according to the first ever state-sponsored disparities report in regard to the LGBTQ community and mental health accessibility, an alarming 77% of the community sought mental health services. Having the battle of mental health issues—LGBTQ-oriented or otherwise—poisoning families. Or, on a far more blunt level, the fact that housing, food, and healthcare in this country are exorbitantly expensive.

Unless you’re some deeply cold-hearted person who simply doesn’t care about homelessness (and in that case, I suggest migrating to a deserted island solo to live out your nihilism), it behooves you to understand that homelessness is complex. It takes incredible strength and patience to truly face it head on because not only does one realize how stereotypical we are in our thinking about it but how much we and the system we’ve created exacerbate it.

When it comes to feeding, we get this momentary boost of happiness and a ever-so-wonderful ego stroke: “I performed an act of kindness.” Sure. But here is a harsh reality, one that friend and founder of Beacon for Him Shannon James explained to me earlier this year after she had to learn the hard way when she began to randomly feed the homeless situated at Lincoln Park: randomly handing things to the homeless (except a guide for services) is deeply detrimental.

First, you have to face some extremely tough questions and direct them toward yourself, a process that for myself was extremely difficult—mainly, “Why?” Why are you doing what you’re doing? It is because you want that ego stroke, that momentary lifting of the guilt that pangs you when you see someone huddled in a corner before you grab your specialty coffee? Or do you do it because you genuinely want to help? The issue is a complicated one because we go into auto-mode when we see people in unfortunate situations that we ourselves aren’t in; we think we know what they need because of the immediacy of the situation rather than examining the broader picture.

Without a streamlined process, we foster the most poisonous of all sentiments toward the homeless: pity. Even worse, familiarity breeds contempt; the homeless expect there is nothing more worthwhile than handouts and the handoutters feel like this is who the homeless are, these begging _things_ that are slowly stripped of identity and, the worst, stripped of their humanity.

We must, as a community, support those who create services for the things we ourselves are too cowardly, too lazy or too cynical to address. I know I myself can’t take on the task; I become too easily overwhelmed, as I did when Antoinette gave me a tour of Mental Health America’s Village in DTLB. The faces of men, younger than me, waiting patiently to use the washer and drier or sifting through the organization’s pick-and-choose closet not only made me pause for reflection, but realize how cowardly it is for me to make any assumptions about “what is being done with the homeless” before witnessing what is being done.

I cannot take on the task. I admit this with the dents and scratches that come with saying it: I am too weak, I am too overwhelmed, I am too tired—pathetic statements when put into focus but faults I nonetheless admit.

I learn about groups like MHA and the DLBA and Friends of Lincoln Park and Building Healthy Communities and Housing Long Beach… I learn about residents so diligent and insistent on addressing homelessness so that I can help foster their message, their work, and their hope; residents like Antoinette Hamilton, Shannon James, Allison Kripp, Justin Rudd, Elliot Gonzales, Giovanna Ferraro…

I learn.

Even if you think you have the best of intentions, there is one simple thing you need to ask yourself: what are you learning versus what you are professing?

Learn more because Long Beach is in deep need of a very long spring course..

16 Comments

city zen says:March 23, 2015 at 10:17 am

Actually, many folks living outdoors DO INDEED refuse the option to get sheltered or housed and prefer the streets. Anyone – I mean, anyone – who has worked directly with these folks knows this is true.

And – yes – the blue line IS providing transit for people to come from LA to Long Beach for a day or 3 and hang out in Lincoln Park, get fed, hustle, etc. Again, anyone – I mean, anyone – working with these folks in Long Beach knows this. Police and social service staff (to whom, mysteriously, you apparently did not speak at all in your “learning” adventure) daily encounter people with LA addresses who TELL THEM EXPLICITLY “I got here today on the Blue Line and I’m leaving tomorrow.” It’s a regular occurrence.

And – strike 3 – Long Beach does indeed attract folks with our compassionate approach. People would MUCH RATHER be homeless here than skid row or San Pedro or OC.

None of these FACTS need to come from a hateful place, or lead to one. They’re just facts.

I think what social service staff, police, and homeless folks themselves say (I notice none were quotes in this article) is pretty relevant. But don’t believe me – there’s plenty of empirical research on the subject

Or you could always go talk to some homeless folks yourself (I notice none were quoted in this article).

Like I said, anyone who works with this population knows there are folks who refuse services and shelter. It’s not a controversial thing. Very obvious on day one.

I would just add that “homeless people” is an extremely diverse population. There are victims of circumstance, and there are victims of their own bad decisions. There are very nice people, and there are unethical exploiters. There are mentally ill veterans, women fleeing domestic violence, and people trying but failing to kick drugs. And there are abusive men, pimps and trustafarians.

Great thought-provoking article; thank you for shining a light on the inspirational Antoinette Hamilton and others like her. I’m ashamed to admit that I haven’t given local homelessness enough thought–it’s such an ingrained sight in most cities we tend to just accept it as something “normal” and gloss over it when in fact we should all be making an effort to help with the problem. This will make me look into how I can help–thank you!

Brian, many good points on a truly complex issue. Your list of credits is interesting, but far short of the long list of people, agencies, organizations, religious institutions and programs who are working everyday to make a difference in the lives of some of societies most fragile citizens.

There is currently an effort to plan a day long community conversation about the Homeless. While the numbers are in the range of 3500, many of these are housed but counted because they are not in permanent homes. The group most visible ae largely the chronic hmeless population. These are people on the streets for more than a year, with physical or mental conditions. Many of these people, including some vets, refuse assistance. For various reasons, they prefer the “independence” of living on the streets, depending on only occaissional help and often with a welfare or government check.

The simple reality is our downtown, part of district one and two, together with district 3 have 60% of the city wide homeless population. The concentration of the homeless population impacts our abiity to attract businesses, tourism, and shoppers. Downtown suffered under the last recession. Our failure to address the chronic population will have profound impacts on our ability to take advantage of the economic recovery. Additional sales tax revenue would contribute to our ability to serve all populations.

As a matter of full disclosure, I’ve been a downtown resident for 10 years, Past President of the Downtown Residential Council, VP of the Blu HOA, on the steering committee of the LB Area Coalition for the Homeless, Continuum of Care Board member and represent District One on the City’s Homeless Services Advisory Committee.

Of course, Joe, there are a plethora of people and organizations and groups I haven’t mentioned (hence the ellipses at eh end of the lists I do provide; they are certainly not exhaustive lists). As I said, I am learning–and there are still a lot of books and a ton of homework I need to do.

I started out on a journey to learn and 2+ years later, I’m still learning. I’m also determined to help those who accept the help, and encourage those who won’t to move on. Long Beach’s downtown is substantially impacted and it is a major factor in our inability to become a thriving commercial district. It is long past time for us to take a serious look at public and private decisions on the homeless issue. Failure to deal with this political hot potato and our window of economic opportunity will pass us by. If that happens, we won’t raise the tax revenue needed to support city services, like caring for the homeless, police, fire, parks and other vital services.

There are of couse issues with aggressive panhandling and the mentally ill, but really, I don’t think most people are truly concerned about the issue of homelessness. What people are really concerned about is trash and sanitation. If the homeless put their trash back into the trash can after searching through the cans, were bathed and in a clean suit no one would care how long they Sat in one spot or where they got their food. Right?

If you would like to hear about homelessness in Long Beach from a social worker, you should discuss the information from a social worker/professor of Cal State University, Long Beach: Professor Christian Maldonado, A.C.S.W. He works from a harm reduction therapy model and currently teaches graduate level Masters in Social Work students.

[…] In the past year, Garcia has overseen the signage of an agricultural ordinance (this morning) and a soon-to-be released climate report. We have the lowest unemployment rate (7.7%) in five years. Our waters have never been cleaner. He’s raised $5.5M for internships across the city. Water usage is at its lowest since 1956. 20 miles of sidewalks have been re-paved and 3.3 miles of pedestrian paradise-ness has been paved along the beach. Homeless has been reduced by 18% this year (not an easy thing if you’ve ever addressed homelessness head-on). […]

[…] In the past year, Garcia has overseen the signage of an agricultural ordinance (this morning) and the commissioning a soon-to-be released climate report. We have the lowest unemployment rate (7.7%) in five years. Our waters have never been cleaner. He’s raised $5.5M for internships across the city. Water usage is at its lowest since 1956. 20 miles of sidewalks have been re-paved and 3.3 miles of pedestrian paradise-ness has been paved along the beach. Homeless has been reduced by 18% this year (not an easy thing if you’ve ever addressed homelessness head-on). […]

Watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB_P3eljq1Y&list=FL8OmmP7bc-Y-zlSkAElZMbQ&index=1 LAMP & PATH are helping the homeless getting homes, disability & the medication they need as most are mentally ill & have no place to go. You offer them food & that’s not what they want/need. They need money for medication, which w/o a prescription generally turns into herb, crack/cocaine, etc. The whole thing is sad & the government closed all the mentally ill facilities so there is no place for these people to go generally speaking. I am happy that LAMP & PATH are helping! This is a huge problem for everyone.